INsight/ Focus with Power

Photo credit canva.

Manila, 24 February 2021 — Leaders focus on results and daily wins.

Story

It happened in 1990 in Bangkok, after I was ordained as a Buddhist monk at Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen (วัดปากน้ำภาษีเจริญ). Dressed in monk robes and with my head shaven, I was meditating on a flame in front of me. Just like the other monks sitting around me. By focusing on our object of meditation, we worked on developing our concentration, which led us into a deeper experience of consciousness. In that process, it started feeling natural to let go of lots of unnecessary distractions that usually occupy the mind. 

Concentrating your mind in Samadhi meditation can feel like changing your lamp from a floodlight into a spotlight. With practice, your focus becomes like a laser, with the power to dissolve obstacles in your work and life, just like the lasers used in medical practice.

The lessons I learned as a monk transformed the way I looked at life and behavior in the workplace. And the experience set me on a journey that I am still on today. Powered to develop leadership in work and life, for myself and others, with insights and tools from both 21st-century science and timeless reflective practices. 

Challenge

Focusing is difficult for many people, and increasingly so in our time. Observing that challenge led Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, to write a book about it. In my work, however, I learned a lot from another book: Getting Results the Agile Way by J.D. Meier, Director of Innovation at Microsoft. In particular, what he calls the Daily Wins practice has helped me and many leaders I coached to focus on executing three things that matter in your day. Says Meier, “The simplest way I use Agile Results is as follows. I write down Three Wins that I want to achieve for the day on paper.” Mind you, not five, 15, or 20, as that would be overwhelming or robotic. Just focus on three things that matter.  And then again three tomorrow, and so on. 

While having your attention scattered is easier now than ever before in human history, there is no shortage of stories, methods, and role models showing how you and your colleagues can empower your focus. You could wish your teammate “may the Force be with you” as they did in Star Wars. From my experiences as a monk, however, I learned that you can go beyond that to say “the Force is in you.“ What does that look and feel like? For a start, practice the Taì (太 I am a great human being) stance demonstrated by Master Huang in the video in Embodied Leadership Practice. For more examples, think of the people who found their focus in raising the three-finger salute together, first in the Hunger Games and then on the streets in Thailand and Myanmar. Have you seen how powerful and natural that focus in people can become when they practice together?

To find such an embodied focus in you will work best, in my experience, when you start with aligning your priority actions with what you believe in at a deeper level, so you tap into that creative Force deep inside you. When you do, something magical happens. Sports legends have called it being in Flow. We can all discover that state and how to do it. With practice, it becomes easier. Especially when you join with others you trust. With practice, you will find that, instead of feeling distracted, there is a concentrated, evolutionary, and creative Force that can work in you and through you, using the universal YinYang energy of action and receiving. And it can come out when you select and deliver your Three Daily Wins.

Question

What I experienced sitting in meditation with other monks, and what the TEDx audience experienced when Master Chuang showed them the Taì 太 stance, is not about getting more knowledge. It’s the practice that matters. He invited the audience to participate, explaining that the way to learn was through the experience. Just like there is little or no point in studying a book or watching a YouTube talk on gyms. You benefit when you actually do the work to exercise. 

So the question for you to focus on results with power is about practice too. How will you practice to improve your focus and get better results in your work and life? And with whom will you practice?

Or will you do it alone, by yourself, as if making a three-finger salute to yourself in front of the mirror? Discovering that the Force is in you, with personal inspiration, is indeed a moment to be treasured, not just once but over and over again. Your practice, on the other hand, is better done with others, starting with a few trusted colleagues in your workplace (meeting onsite or online wherever you are). That way, you can learn to influence a positive change together and celebrate your progress and results not long after. It’s what we also do when we learn and practice leadership behaviors ‘out loud’ in the Grow3Leaders community. Interested to invite three colleagues to practice with? Then set up a call to let us know about your plan and get your questions answered. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.